I just watched an old Will Smith movie from the late 90s called “Enemy of the State” and it was about the NSA trying to remain relevant. It seems remarkably prescient now, but the attitude of the film is what struck me.

The NSA was perceived as not only extremely dangerous to liberty but also as a desperate government bureau fighting for its bureaucratic life. Men inside the agency felt they had to resort to murder in order to keep the NSA afloat.

Q: What’s the difference between 9/11 and a cow?
A: You stop milking a cow after ten years.